Constituents deliver cease and desist order to rep. Dent's office

Two days before a threatened default on the nation’s debts, 20 constituents ofRep. Charlie Dent, outraged by the shutdown of vital government services and threat to drive the United States into default, issued a Cease and Desist order at the Congressman’s HamburgOffice on Oct. 15.

Phila Back, of Kutztown, who organized the event for Keystone Progress and Organizing for Action and is shown in the attached photo inside Rep. Dent’s Hamburg office, said, “With just two days before the House Republicans drive the United States into defaulting on its debts, we are delivering a cease and desist order to Rep. Dent, demanding that the House Republicans stop their extreme politics, which are destroying the American Dream of prosperity for all.”

Brenda Barron, Regional Field Director for USAction, who came to the event from Washington, said,“There are 24 GOP members of Congress who have stated they would vote for a clean continuing resolution.However they have joined the GOP Tea Party in opposing Democratic efforts to bring the vote to the floor.We have had enough of the ‘talking the talk.’ They need to show real leadership and ‘walk the walk’ by signing the Discharge Petition that was introduced on Oct. 12. With 218 signatures, a vote on a clean CR will be brought to a vote on the floor of the House. They must also tell Speaker Boehner to ‘Cease and Desist’from his extremist actions that are ruining our country.”

Back added, “Every cease and desist order includes a remedy. Our order to Rep.Dent demands that he remedy the House’s extreme actions by voting to put Americans back to work rebuilding roads and bridges, by voting to end the sequester cuts immediately, close tax loopholes for corporations that ship our jobs overseas, end boondoggle Pentagon contracts and enact a roadmap to citizenship for millions of aspiring American citizens.”

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Republican House Speaker Boehner has linked ending the government shutdown to defunding the AffordableCare Act and preventing the United States from defaulting to cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

Reverend David Kistler of Bethel announced, “The Lutheran Church and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches have called on the U.S. Congress to end the shutdown and raise the debt limit immediately without conditions.”

The cease and desist order to Rep. Dent was one of 81 delivered to the offices of Republican members ofCongress throughout the country and among the 19 delivered to Pennsylvania members.

Karina Quintana of Allentown, a national organizer with the American Federation of Government Employeessaid,“There are over 8400 federal employees in the 15th Congressional District. Local federal workers are alreadybehind on their bills from over 3 years of pay freezes and furloughs this summer. They cannot pay rent, childcare, car notes. Veterans are unable to file new benefits claims, children from low-income families are being locked out of Head Start assistance programs, the flying public has been put at risk because aviation safety inspectors have been furloughed and so much more.”